The National Democratic Front-Southern Mindanao scored Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's 9th State of the Nation Address, as her most shameless attempt to conceal the real state of the nation. At the same time, the NDF congratulated the tens of thousands of mass activists and ordinary folks who slammed her SONA in a huge rally in Davao City.

First, when Mrs. Arroyo spoke of "strong economy," she was obviously referring to the pro-imperialist, pro-bureaucrat capitalist and pro-landlord economic fundamentals that have, for almost a decade, strengthened the exploitative character of the country's semi-feudal economy. Arroyo's "strong economy" meant nine years of extreme joblessness, hunger and massive displacement for the millions of workers, urban poor and farmers. Arroyo's "strong economy" also meant the wealth amassed from corruption by her family and their business associates.

Second, Arroyo's "strong presidency" was an understatement of the reality that blood is dripping from her hands with the extrajudicial killings being a central part of the National Internal Security Plan and a covert national policy of her fascist rule.

To reinforce her regime's fascism, she has fed well the bootlicking generals of the Armed Forces of the Philippines out of the people's money. And further drying up the country's coffers, she has maintained a rubber stamp Congress headed by a DavaoeÃ±o yes man in the person of Davao's most hated Prospero "Nogie" Nograles.

Third, declaring there's a "good prospect for peace talks" with the NDFP and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is more of a political posturing to hide the fact that her centerpiece national security program has miserably failed in decimating the revolutionary movement. Arroyo's pro-peace talks gambit was an odious pronouncement in the light of the tens of thousands of individuals who were martyred by virtue of the Oplan Bantay Laya (Operational Plan Freedom Watch) I and II.

Fourth, the absence in Arroyo's SONA of a categorical statement disavowing any plan to rule beyond June 2010 in the light of the Nogie Charter Change is a portent of many more political maneuvers to come.

The Filipinos have enough of this regime's brazen brutality, corruption and duplicity. This is the true state of the nation which was evident in the nationwide protest last Monday.

The NDF-Southern Mindanao congratulates all the protesters in the region, especially in Davao City, for showing, together with the rest of the protesters across the country, the true state of the nation. It urges the Filipino people to further broaden the anti-Arroyo united front.